Collaboration isn't a new concept. What is new is how we collaborate. Innovative technologies such as social collaboration platforms, mobility applications and intelligent analytics and dashboards have become much more prominent within the supply chain. During this webcast we'll explore how combining these innovations with end-to-end supply chain visibility creates…

Dematic, supplier of logistics systems for the factory, warehouse and the distribution center, is offering a series of mobile Warehouse Logistics Conferences. The one day event, titled “Get the most out of your operation,” is focused on the operation and maintenance of materials handling systems in the warehouse and distribution center. The conference will offer presentations on how to improve the performance of automated/mechanized materials handling technology, controls and software, as well as increase warehouse operational performance and employee productivity.

The pilot Warehouse Logistics Conference will be held in Columbus, Ohio on Thursday, September 23, 2010. Dematic industry manager Ken Ruehrdanz told Modern that the company’s warehouse logistics education programs usually take place at the “Red Schoolhouse,” which is on the Dematic engineering campus in Grand Rapids, Michigan. However, Ruehrdanz said, “It’s often difficult for people to travel, so we’re bringing the information to them. We’re a logistics company, so we’re making it logistically easy for people to participate.”

The Warehouse Logistics Conference will offer three session tracks: warehouse operations, maintenance/modernization, and software/controls. Participants will learn how to improve equipment performance with upgrade kits, will review best practice maintenance methods, and will see recommendations on how to extend the life of mechanized/automated materials handling systems. Furthermore, warehouse process improvement and best practice solutions for order fulfillment will be presented. Managers and engineers who design, operate and maintain warehouses or distribution centers will benefit from attending the event.

Dematic has a long tradition of providing logistics education to industry professionals. “We’ve been providing logistics education since 1955,” said Ruehrdanz. “The materials handling industry has evolved dramatically over the years and we’re helping people stay up to date with the changes.”

That tradition continues. But instead of industry professionals coming to the Red Schoolhouse for the conferences, the conferences will be held at sits across the country that are established hubs for materials handling operations like warehouses and distribution centers.

Following the pilot conference being held in Columbus this month, additional Warehouse Logistics Conferences will take place quarterly at cities across the country in 2011. According to Ruehrdanz, the exact dates and locations have yet to be determined, but the plan is to go out into the nation’s major hubs of warehousing and distribution so that a great number people within driving distance will be able to participate in the conference.

Conference content, which is presented by Dematic’s topic expert and representatives from academia, is shaped by feedback from professionals in the materials handling industry, their needs, market trends and information gleaned from roundtable discussions. Topics include labor, throughput, ergonomics, accuracy, upgrading and modernizing technology and software controls, to name a few.

“These conferences are free to anyone in the industry,” explains Ruehrdanz. “It might be that attendees use a different brand or don’t have any brand at all yet, they just want to get smarter.”

There may be a conference coming to a location near you. The schedule of cities and dates will be announced soon on Dematic’s homepage.

About the Author

Lorie King RogersAssociate Editor

Lorie King Rogers, associate editor, joined Modern in 2009 after working as a freelance writer for the Casebook issue and show daily at tradeshows. A graduate of Emerson College, she has also worked as an editor on Stock Car Racing Magazine.

Subscribe to Modern Materials Handling magazine

Subscribe today. It's FREE!

Find out what the world's most innovative companies are doing to improve productivity in their plants and distribution centers.

In light of the growth of e-commerce-and the fact that consumers and businesses are buying again, many of the discussions that we had at ProMat 2015 didn't revolve around the products and the equipment on display as much as it did the supplemental technology and solutions that are designed to optimize systems in an effort to work "smarter."

Article Topics

About the Author

Bob Heaney is a seasoned professional with over 25 years of distinguished leadership experience in research, analysis, and advisory roles in Supply Chain Engineering. Heaney’s coverage area within Aberdeen includes various elements of Supply Chain Execution (Transportation Management, Warehouse Management, Distributed Order Management and Supply Chain Visibility). Contact Bob Heaney